BRIDGEPORT, CT - Aquarion Water Company announced Wednesday that it is the recipient of the 2011 Business Growth Award from the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce and the 2011 Consumer Service Unit Award from the Bridgeport Regional Business Council.

The Greater Valley Chamber’s Business Growth Award honors businesses that have demonstrated significant growth through acquisition and a solid record of accomplishment. One key component of Aquarion’s successful 2011 was the purchase and integration of 40 water systems in Connecticut into its portfolio, which strengthened the company’s ability to improve the availability and quality of water in communities throughout the state.

“Through our acquisition of smaller companies, we had a great year in terms of growth and are now in a position to deliver improvements to even more local water systems in Connecticut,” Aquarion President and CEO Charles V. Firlotte said. “We are honored to be recognized by one of the region’s leading business organizations, the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, and we look forward to exploring ways to expand our operations in 2012.”

For the fifth year in a row, Aquarion was awarded the Customer Service Award by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority for having the fewest number of customer complaints in the state. This includes water, electric, natural gas, cable and telephone companies.

“Over the years, Aquarion has earned a stellar reputation among our customers and our employees because of the high level of respect we have for both,” said Firlotte. “At Aquarion, we strive to consistently exceed our customers’ expectations while adopting innovative and fresh ideas. We appreciate this special recognition from the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, and we will continue to provide our customers with the highest level of service for many years to come.”

In addition to the awards bestowed by the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce and the BRBC, Aquarion was also recognized in 2011 by the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund for leadership in reducing its carbon footprint, cutting its electrical consumption by up to 50 percent; and by Hearst Connecticut Newspapers for being ranked the second best place to work among large companies in a multi-company employee survey.